Identifies a group of interfaces, usually on different nodes. Packets that are sent to the multicast address go to all members of the multicast group.

anycast

Identifies a group of interfaces, usually on different nodes. Packets that are sent to the anycast address go to the anycast group member node that is physically closest to the sender.

Parts of the IPv6 Address

An IPv6 address is 128 bits in length and consists of eight,
16-bit fields, with each field bounded by a colon. Each field must contain
a hexadecimal number, in contrast to the dotted-decimal notation of IPv4 addresses. In
the next figure, the x's represent hexadecimal numbers.

Figure 3-2 Basic IPv6 Address Format

The leftmost three fields (48 bits) contain the site prefix. The prefix describes the
public topology that is usually allocated to your site by an ISP or
Regional Internet Registry (RIR).

The next field is the 16-bit subnet ID, which you (or another administrator) allocate
for your site. The subnet ID describes the private topology, also known as the
site topology, because it is internal to your site.

The rightmost four fields (64 bits) contain the interface ID, also referred to as
a token. The interface ID is either automatically configured from the interface's MAC
address or manually configured in EUI-64 format.

This example shows all 128 bits of an IPv6 address. The first
48 bits, 2001:0db8:3c4d, contain the site prefix, representing the public topology. The next
16 bits, 0015, contain the subnet ID, representing the private topology for the
site. The lower order, rightmost 64 bits, 0000:0000:1a2f:1a2b, contain the interface ID.

Abbreviating IPv6 Addresses

Most IPv6 addresses do not occupy all of their possible 128 bits.
This condition results in fields that are padded with zeros or contain only
zeros.

The IPv6 addressing architecture allows you use the two-colon (::) notation to represent
contiguous 16-bit fields of zeros. For example, you might abbreviate the IPv6 address
in Figure 3-2 by replacing the two contiguous fields of zeros in the interface
ID with two colons. The resulting address is 2001:0db8:3c4d:0015::1a2f:1a2b. Other fields of zeros can
be represented as a single 0. You can also omit any leading zeros
in a field, such as changing 0db8 to db8.

So the address 2001:0db8:3c4d:0015:0000:0000:1a2f:1a2b can be abbreviated as 2001:db8:3c4d:15::1a2f:1a2b.

You can use the two colon notation to replace any contiguous fields of
all zeros in the IPv6 address. For example, the IPv6 address 2001:0db8:3c4d:0015:0000:d234::3eee:0000
can be collapsed into 2001:db8:3c4d:15:0:d234:3eee::.

Prefixes in IPv6

The leftmost fields of the IPv6 address contain the prefix, which is used
for routing IPv6 packets. IPv6 prefixes have the following format:

prefix/length in bits

Prefix length is stated in classless inter-domain routing (CIDR) notation. CIDR notation is
a slash at the end of the address that is followed by
the prefix length in bits. For information on CIDR format IP addresses, refer to
Designing Your CIDR IPv4 Addressing Scheme.

The site prefix of an IPv6 address occupies up to 48 of the leftmost
bits of the IPv6 address. For example, the site prefix of the IPv6
address 2001:db8:3c4d:0015:0000:0000:1a2f:1a2b/48 is contained in the leftmost 48 bits, 2001:db8:3c4d. You use the following
representation, with zeros compressed, to represent this prefix:

2001:db8:3c4d::/48

Note - The prefix 2001:db8::/32 is a special IPv6 prefix that is used specifically for
documentation examples.

You can also specify a subnet prefix, which defines the internal topology of the network
to a router. The example IPv6 address has the following subnet prefix.

2001:db8:3c4d:15::/64

The subnet prefix always contains 64 bits. These bits include 48 bits for
the site prefix, in addition to 16 bits for the subnet ID.

The following prefixes have been reserved for special use:

2002::/16

Indicates that a 6to4 routing prefix follows.

fe80::/10

Indicates that a link-local address follows.

ff00::/8

Indicates that a multicast address follows.

Unicast Addresses

IPv6 includes two different unicast address assignments:

Global unicast address

Link-local address

The type of unicast address is determined by the leftmost (high
order) contiguous bits in the address, which contain the prefix.

The unicast address format is organized in the following hierarchy:

Public topology

Site (private) topology

Interface ID

Global Unicast Address

The global unicast address is globally unique in the Internet. The example IPv6
address that is shown in Prefixes in IPv6 is a global unicast address. The
next figure shows the scope of the global unicast address, as compared to
the parts of the IPv6 address.

Figure 3-3 Parts of the Global Unicast Address

Public Topology

The site prefix defines the public topology of your network to a router. You
obtain the site prefix for your enterprise from an ISP or Regional Internet
Registry (RIR).

Site Topology and IPv6 Subnets

IN IPv6, the subnet ID defines an administrative subnet of the network and is
up to 16 bits in length. You assign a subnet ID as part
of IPv6 network configuration. The subnet prefix defines the site topology to a router
by specifying the specific link to which the subnet has been assigned.

IPv6 subnets are conceptually the same as IPv4 subnets, in that each subnet
is usually associated with a single hardware link. However, IPv6 subnet IDs are
expressed in hexadecimal notation, rather than in dotted decimal notation.

Interface ID

The interface ID identifies an interface of a particular node. An interface ID must
be unique within the subnet. IPv6 hosts can use the Neighbor Discovery protocol
to automatically generate their own interface IDs. Neighbor Discovery automatically generates the interface
ID, based on the MAC or EUI-64 address of the host's interface. You
can also manually assign interface IDs, which is recommended for IPv6 routers and
IPv6-enabled servers. For instructions on how to create a manual EUI-64 address, refer
to RFC 3513 Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Addressing Architecture.

Transitional Global Unicast Addresses

For transition purposes, the IPv6 protocol includes the ability to embed an IPv4
address within an IPv6 address. This type of IPv4 address facilitates the tunneling
of IPv6 packets over existing IPv4 networks. One example of a transitional global
unicast address is the 6to4 address. For more information on 6to4 addressing, refer
to 6to4 Automatic Tunnels.

Link-Local Unicast Address

The link-local unicast address can be used only on the local network link.
Link-local addresses are not valid nor recognized outside the enterprise. The following example
shows the format of the link-local address.

Example 3-1 Parts of the Link-Local Unicast Address

A link-local prefix has the following format:

fe80::interface-ID/10

The following is an example of a link-local address:

fe80::23a1:b152

fe80

Hexadecimal representation of the 10-bit binary prefix 1111111010. This prefix identifies the type of IPv6 address as link local.

interface-ID

Hexadecimal address of the interface, which is usually derived from the 48-bit MAC address.

When you enable IPv6 during Oracle Solaris installation, the lowest numbered interface on
the local machine is configured with a link-local address. Each interface requires at
least one link-local address to identify the node to other nodes on the
local link. Therefore, you need to manually configure link-local addresses for additional interfaces
of a node. After configuration, the node uses its link-local addresses for automatic
address configuration and neighbor discovery.

Multicast Addresses

IPv6 supports the use of multicast addresses. The multicast address identifies a multicast group,
which is a group of interfaces, usually on different nodes. An interface can
belong to any number of multicast groups. If the first 16 bits of
an IPv6 address is ff00n, the address is a multicast address.

Multicast addresses are used for sending information or services to all interfaces that
are defined as members of the multicast group. For example, one use of
multicast addresses is to communicate with all IPv6 nodes on the local
link.

When an interface's IPv6 unicast address is created, the kernel automatically makes the
interface a member of certain multicast groups. For example, the kernel makes each
node a member of the Solicited Node multicast group, which is used by
the Neighbor Discovery protocol to detect reachability. The kernel also automatically makes a
node a member of the All-Nodes or All Routers multicast groups.

Anycast Addresses and Groups

IPv6 anycast addresses identify a group of interfaces on different IPv6 nodes. Each
group of interfaces is known as an anycast group. When a packet is sent
to the anycast address, the anycast group member that is physically closest to
the sender receives the packet.

Note - The Oracle Solaris implementation of IPv6 does not support the creation of anycast
addresses and groups. However, Oracle Solaris IPv6 nodes can send packets to anycast
addresses. For more information, see Considerations for Tunnels to a 6to4 Relay Router.